At a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 2, the Thompson School District (TSD) Board of Education formally declared an opening on board and approved new board member district boundary maps.

Loveland resident Paul Bankes, who had served on the board since 2017, had recently moved to Wyoming and is therefore no longer eligible to serve on the board. Bankes’ departure is second on the board this year; board member Marc Seter had resigned from his seat in February and was replaced via appointment by Jarrett Roberts this past spring.

The seat formerly held by Bankes will be temporarily filled by appointment until the outcome of this November’s election. Along with the now-open seat, Roberts’ seat as well as those currently held by Barb Kruse and Lori Hvizda Ward, the latter of whom currently serves as board’s chairwoman.

The TSD board is divided into seven districts, named A through G, that are apportioned according to population. According to Colorado law, all districts must be within 1% of the population count. Due to the growth in the eastern and southern portions of the district, the boundaries of each had to be redrawn to be in accordance with Colorado statute.

The seat vacated by Bankes in District B is in the north-central portion of Loveland, directly east of District C, held by Roberts. District E, currently represented by Hvizda Ward, encompasses central (downtown) and western Loveland, and District F, represented by Kruse, is located throughout eastern Loveland. All four districts are up for elections this November as part of the biannual cycle with four-year terms. Hvizda Ward is term-limited while Kruse announced earlier this year her intention to seek reelection.

Anyone who is interested in applying to fill the open seat created by Bankes’ resignation must be a registered elector and a resident of the district for at least one year and have no record of criminal activity related to a sexual offense against a minor.

Applications for the opening can be obtained at the TSD website, www.thompsonschools.org, or in-person at the district headquarters building at 800 S. Taft Ave. in Loveland. Applications will be available beginning this Thursday, Aug. 5, and must be completed and submitted by Sept. 17. An announcement of the person chosen to fill the vacancy will be announced at the regular board meeting on Sept. 22.

The person chosen to fill the seat will have a short-term assignment as the seat will be filled in the election in November. Those who are interested in running for any of the open seats, including the seat to be filled by an appointee at the aforementioned Sept. 22 meeting, must pull an election petition and gather 50 valid signatures by Aug. 27. Director Districts are the Thompson School Board are non-partisan elections. Further information on running for any of the open seats on the TSD Board of Education can be found at the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder’s website at www.larimer.org/clerk/elections/candidates/school-board.